True Max Number of Systems

I don't know not alot of spare room for more systems in a 255 system map.

Does the game assign names in order of the list or does it choose them at random? If it chooses at random, I'd want the full list, but if it goes in order, I'll just release what I have.

*edit*
I wouldn't worry about quadrant space. The quadrant map, at its most crowded point, can have 3400 systems. The 255 engine max takes up 7.5% of the quadrant map's total capacity.

Its random. And while the quadrent map can hold that many, it'd be a problem to navigate long before then.

How long would that game last? With 3400 systems, how many computer players would there be? imagine your cpu having to process 2000 different cpus every time you end your turn...

I tested a 255-star quadrant with my own custom name file. It works just fine, although the distribution in Spiral is bugged(the majority of stars hug the outside rectange) and Grid just looks odd, though its behavior is how it's supposed to look.

It takes about 45-60 seconds to generate without warp points, 1 1/2-2 minutes with warp points.

I tested 320 systems.
http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/3452/320systemsfq4.jpg

This artifact appears when you go over the posted limit. It just intensifies when you increase the number.

512 Systems
http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/1984/510systemsoa5.jpg

"Bob"...

You have to have a system called "Bob". No galaxy is complete without at least one system simply called "Bob"!

Your lord and master (below Foamy) LordHavoc

Thanks for taking the time to test this, I didn't get around to it yet.

From the looks of it, I'd say that all systems exist in one list, but when determining warp points (and possibly other things) the lists of systems are capped at 255 systems. Anything beyond that makes warp points into nonsense.

Regardless of exactly why that happens, though, I think it's safe to say the limit is actually 255.

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Give me atmoshperic manipulation cannons, or give me death!

Wow that many systems would be amazing. When I am done with my Mod I will try for the games STATED limit. 255, I don;t want to push it much beyond that. I don't want the game to go all crazy.

The courage to endure.

Did you try doing it with "all warp points are connected"? Maybe that would force it to go back and fill them in.

..... Oh what am I saying... I'm gonna try it later just because I can.

From what I remember, the WPs still exist, they just stop getting rendered on the quadrant map at some point.

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And, like usual, Fyron is exactly right.

BTW I've noticed that weird things happen in certain galaxy configurations. The ring that people mentioned earlier, and a bizarre "stack" of solar systems in the upper left corner of the map. My hypothesis is that the stack is whatever systems it couldn't find places for. It just dumps them there as a "case else" sort of thing. They DO seem to be properly connected though. But, since they all occupy the same location on the galactic map, navigating is a royal pain.

Oh stack, I know thee well... the stupid game refuses to allow systems to exist in adjacent squares. Any map settings that would cause one single system to be placed too close cause the rest of the systems to dog-pile in the upper left!

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Thinking about it, that's probably necessary to allow space to draw the lines when you turn on "Show Warp Lines" in the map display options.

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"Good morning, Pooh Bear," said Eeyore gloomily. "If it /is/ a good morning," he said. "Which I doubt," said he.

SE4 got by fine with adjacent systems.

I suspect that a "Min Dist Between Systems" of 0 would be summarily ignored by the map generator. Most of my woes came about from the specific system placement stuff for spiral type maps.

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Yeah, the generator puts a LOT of empty space in and then there's no room left over for stars, thus you get a ring around the outside and the stack.

lol how the heck did we end up in Bob i wanted to go to nancy *cries*